The Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) is the name given to a collection of network elements including Service Switching Points (SSP's), Signal Transfer Points (STP's), Signal Control Points (SCP's), Intelligent Peripherals (IP's), Service Management Systems (SMS's), and Signaling System 7 (SS7) links. SS7, also known as Common Channel Signaling (CCS), provides AIN systems with out-of-band signaling system capability. Such out-of-band signaling systems provide separate channels for control messages. The SS7 exchanges control messages such as Transaction Capability Application Part (TCAP) messages, also called queries, between network elements to deploy selected services. The SS7 system also carries ISDN-user part (ISUP) messages between network node switching units to set up and route calls. The SS7 system handles queries and messages on a separate shared system from the trunks which carry customer call traffic.
AIN systems process queries based on information stored in various components of the AIN system. Currently, information relating to specific services and to specific customers can be contained in multiple and separate databases spread through the AIN system. When a query is sent from an originating SSP to a STP and from there to a SCP for processing, the SCP the query was sent to may not have the data locally available to be able to process the query. The first SCP would then send the query back to the STP from where the query would then be routed to a second SCP. Once the query is directed to the second SCP that contains the correct information to process the query, the query response is then sent back to the STP and from there to the first SCP before being sent back to the STP and from there to the originating SSP. This return path wastes both time and resources. Passing the query response back through the first SCP requires additional signals in the SS7 network. Additional signals create an increased burden on the SS7 network and also increases the overall elapsed time between when the original query was sent and the query response is received.
Another method of query handling used by AIN systems is to define translation type numbers (TTNs) and the 10 digit telephone number the TTNs correspond to in translation data tables (TDTs). These TDTs are contained in the SSP as well as in the STP that is designated to receive queries from that telephone number. Once the STP receives a query containing a TTN and 10 digit telephone number, the TTN and 10 digit telephone number are compared with the STP's TDTs. If both the TTN and the 10 digit telephone number are defined in the STP's TDTs, the STP can send the query, along with the data for processing the query, to the SCP. This method, however, requires a great deal of resources to define the additional TTNs and the corresponding 10 digit telephone numbers in both the SSP and STP TDTs. This method further requires a great deal of maintenance to keep the TDTs contained in the SSP and STP current and accurate.